No Fail Tricks For Getting Hallway Behaviors On Track

Hi Friends! I have a quick post for you today, to share some tips and tricks I use in my classroom to keep my students from thinking they are part of a Championship parade every time we step foot into the hallway!

#1... SET THE GROUNDWORK

Ok, so you CANNOT just assume that kids know how to walk quietly and with self-control in the hallways. Even if this is not their first time in school, even if you know who their teacher was last year, and you KNOW he or she taught them how to walk, blah, blah, blah... SAVE YOURSELF SOME TIME AND SANITY...AND DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING!!! Remember, these are children. Self-control, walking, and quiet are not things that come naturally to children. Chaos, noise, running, and mayhem? NATURAL BEHAVIORS OF CHILDREN! (Do you see what I am saying?)

We talk, and talk, and talk some more! (Notice I said WE talk...not just I talk.) Talking together about the behaviors rather than being talked to about the behaviors is much more effective! That is why I like using the social stories. They are great springboards for discussion.

#2... PRACTICE

Next, we practice. We practice EVERY PART of the behaviors we want to see in the hall. We practice in the classroom first. (Walking, facing forward, hands at our sides, not talking, staying in line.) Then we practice in the hall. An important part of practicing is modeling for the students what you want to see. Show them what you see them doing right and show them what you see them doing wrong! (No names of course!) Students love to see you model a behavior knowing in their heart that they've got it right! They also love watching you model those crazy inappropriate behaviors too, like, "should we walk all the way down the hall rubbing our head on the lockers as we walk...like this?"

#3... MAKE GOING INTO THE HALLWAY A FUN EVENT

When we line up to go into the hall, we have a couple chants that we use as a fun way to get ourselves prepared to leave the safety and anonymity of our classroom and enter the "real world". These chants come from our friend Emily at Polka Dots Please.

We just love everything she does! (Yes, I may be slightly biased since she was once my student teacher many years ago, but once you visit her blog and her store, I am sure you will love her as much as I do!) Our favorite is the "Mirror Mirror On The Wall" chant that tells us to check ourselves in the mirror before we go out the door, to make sure we are ready to go! (It is also a great way to check our hair and teeth to make sure we are presentable for the "real world" without feeling vain about it!)

#4...HOLD THE STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE

After all that talk and practice and modeling about proper hallway behaviors, it is important to then make sure you hold your students accountable for those same hallway behaviors. Stop periodically as you are walking and turn around and check on them. Walk slow enough that they can keep up with you (I am SO guilty of forgetting to do this!), and acknowledge their good behavior when you get to your destination so they know you are noticing their hard work! I have a couple other ways I hold my students accountable in the hallways. One way, is to have the line leader carry the Voice Level Indicator sign in the air for the class to see, to remind them of the appropriate voice level in the hallway.

Then there is the Secret Walker....Have you tried Secret Walker in your classroom? If you haven't, you have got to..THIS is a gem! Ok, so here is how Secret Walker works...In my classroom, one of the class jobs is
Caboose. The job of the Caboose is to always be at the end of the line when we
go anywhere (we keep the same jobs all week), and to choose and watch the
Secret Walker. THIS IS A COVETED JOB!!! THERE IS NO MORE POWERFUL SITUATION IN
A FIRST GRADERS DAY! (wink wink!)

So, in the morning when the students come
in, the Caboose student will choose a name out of the Secret Walker envelope.
(NO PEEKING! This is very important, or you will find that friends will only
choose friends, etc.) The Caboose then lets you know who the Secret Walker is but
is not allowed to
tell anyone else. (Revealing who it is before the end of the day is an
immediate loss of power for the rest of the week!)

Whenever we leave the
classroom, the Caboose is then in charge of watching the Secret Walker to see
if he/she is following the hallway rules. At the end of the day it is revealed
whether or not the Secret Walker did well. (I assist with this process if I
have a particularly difficult Caboose, or know that the Caboose may not be an
impartial judge for whatever reason.) If the answer is YES, THE SECRET WALKER
DID A GREAT JOB IN THE HALLS TODAY, then and ONLY then does the Caboose reveal
the name! (This way we are not ridiculing anyone for bad behavior.) The Secret
Walker gets a round of applause, a slip/poem to take home, and a Brag Tag for
his/her necklace.

That is it! My students LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the Secret Walker
routine!

(By the way, when we pull names, we leave
those names out of the envelope until all the names have been pulled. Then we
put them all back in and start again.)

(If you are interested in trying any of these ideas in your classroom or want to learn more about them, just click on the pictures!)